Fire extinguisher



Oct. 18. 1927.

C. 8. WHITE Filed Aug. 7,

Patented Oct. 18, 1927.

CLIFFORD B. WHITE, OF UTICA, NEW YOR RATION, OF UTICA, NEW YORK,

K, ASSIGNOR TO FOAMITE-CHILDS CORPO A COBEORATION OF DELAWARE FIREEXTINGUISHER.

Application filed August 7, 1925. Serial No. 48,712.

The object of the invention is to improve the structure and action ofinvertible fire extinguishers, and more particularly of joam typeinvertible extinguishers, which normally contain two foam-makingsolutions, brought together, on inversion, to produce a fireextinguishing foam. The object is to cause such extinguishers .todeliver a proper mixture of the two solutions, in the first few secondsof the discharge as well as later and thereby increase the amount offoam produced from a given extinguisher. Ordinarily extinguishers ofthis class initially 'delivera redominance of one of the solutions whenrst inverted, which is objectionable for-several reasons and is elimi-'nated by the present invention by the simple expedient of extending theoutlet or dis charge conduit inwardly, or otherwise locating it, in theouter container, so that it receives substantially uniform andappropriate relative amounts of both solutions immediately on inversionand thereafter. This. results in a material increase in the amount offoam delivered because the full-chemical value of both solutions canthus be utilized.

The preferred 'form..of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing wherein Figure 1 is an axial section of a standard form offoam-ty. e extinguisher having the invention applie and Fig. 2 anenlarged perspective of the conduit extension member, detached.

As will be recognized inthe drawing, the outer container 1 is providedwith the usual domed top and neck opening 2, and screw cap or cover 3,and withithe usual discharge conduit 4 comprising an outlet elbow, hoseand nozzle. The inner container 5 is a cylin-- drical tube seated at itslower end on the bottom of the main container and laterally supported atits upper end in the neck ope ing 2. It is removable through this openiIt is generally preferred to provide a sto seat in the inner containeras indica ed. at 6 and a gravity or other stopple 7 therefor which fallsaway from the seat, on inversion, and allows the acid solution in saidcontainer to pass into the upper or cage part ofthe inner container, andthence through a series of cage openings or ports 8 in tht tubular wall,intothe upper part of the outer container. It is preferred that theoutlets 8 be constituted of relatively small holes 8, of which theaggregatearea is not greater than the -area.of the stopple closedoutlet.

The discharge conduit 4 is extended inwardly from the wall of the outercontainer by means of the part 9 which maybe termed a conduit extensionand which may be variously shaped and variously combined with the restof the apparatus. As shown in Figure 2 it consists simply of atrough-like member, one wall of which is multi-perforated to constitutea screen and the other walls of which are cut or shaped to fit'theinterior concave surface of the top dome of the outer container to whichit is brazed or soldered above the normal levelof the basic solution inthat container. The effect of this member, so placed, is to locate theentrance orifice to the discharge conduit nearer than otherwise to thepoint where the inner or acid solution emerges from the inner containerinto the outer container, and where the two solutions naturally cometogether on inversion and it is found that whlen osition indiuid' streamis also objectionable because itis a conductor of electricity whereas afoam stream is a poor conductor, and obviously and as above stated thechemical value of the liquid is wasted with corresponding impairment ofthedischarge pressure-and volume of extinguishing medium.

The entrance orilice of the conduit extension'9 is represented bytheholes in the perforated wall or strainer 10 andshould be in a plane orsurface substantially parallel to the axis of the extinguisher'or facedupwardly or toward the screw cover, but not downwardly in which positionit -wouldbe likely to receive an excessive quantity of the basicsolution in theouter container on the surge of liquid incident toinversion. It will be noted that the orifice is relatively close to theside wall, or the line'of the'side wall, of

the inner container, and closer to .it than to the cylindrical wall, orline-of the wall, of the outer container. Being thus close to the lineof the neck opening, the strainer is visible when the cap is off andeasily examined and cleaned which is an important advantage regardlessof the character of the contained solutions.

The width or diameter of the conduit entrance does not require to belarger than necessary to accommodate an adequate screen such as 10 andin general nothing will be gained by making it wider. Inasmuch as it isstandard practice to protect the discharge conduit of extinguishers bymeans of a strainer applied to the interior and ofthe outlet elbow, itwill be seen that the advantages of the present invention are attainedwith no additional expense of manufacture and none-of material exceptthe negligible cost of the metal contained in the imperforate walls ofthe conduit extension. The inner solution container, may be variouslydesigned, either with a gravity stopple or an externally opened stoppleand with any desired configuration of the cage structure above thestopple seat, although the best results are obtained by a structure inwhich the flow ports, such as 8, are relatively small and located insubstantially the same horizontal zone as the orifice of the conduitextension, and spaced at intervals around the container. The advantageof this construction is that there is always one port hole, such as 8,directed towards the outlet, but as above stated this is merely thepreferred form and there is no intended limitation to the use of smallholes except as specified by certain of the claims, the object andresult of the invention being accomplished by virture of the location ofthe outlet close enough to the inner container to avoid initialdischarge of liquid as distinguished from foam.

I claim:

1. In an invertible foam type extinguisher having a basic solutioncontainer, the combination between an inwardly extending dischargepassage having a widened entrance and an inner acid container which hasat least one acid discharge orifice directed against that wide entrance,thus insuring that there will always be some acid in the initial flowthrough the delivery hose.

2. The combination of the preceding claim in which the solution outletfrom the inner container is constituted of an annular series of smallholes whose aggregate area is not greater than the cross sectional areaof the acid flow opening from the rest of the container thereto.

3. In an invertible type extin uisher having a basic solution container,t e combination between an inwardly extending discharge passage havingits solution entrance and'removable therethrough and opening cglin icalacid llin opening aving at least one acid delivery orifice directedagainst the solution entrance of the dis.- 0 arge passage and locatedclosely adjacent the same. 4. The combination in an invertible foam typeextinguisher of an outer basic solution container having a neck openingand an inner acid solution container occupying said neck opening andhaving one or more acid discharge orifices in its upper part, with adischarge passage extending inwardly from the side and top of theextinguisher and terminatin and having its total entrance orificeadjacent the neck of the extinguisher and opposite and close to theperforated wall of the acid container, on inverson of the extinguishersaid discharge outlet receives initially and, as they mingle, both basicand acid solutions.

5. A foam extinguisher of the invertible type comprising an outercontainer of a foam-making solution having a neck-opening provided witha cover, and having a foam discharge nozzle, and an inner container offoam-making solution contained within the outer' container andinsertible through said neck-opening thereof, in combination with a partforming a passage leading to said discharge nozzle, the entrance to saidpassage being located above the liquid level of said outer container,close to said inner container and neck-opening but faced otherwise thantoward the rush of solution in said outer container which occurs thereinon the inversion of the extinguisher, said entrance being also locateddirectly in the path of the outflow from the inner container oninversion, whereby said entranceinitiall receives portions of both saidfoam-making solutions.

6. A foam extinguisher of the invertible type comprising an outercontainer of a foam-makin solution having a neck-opening provided with acover, and having a foam discharge nozzle, and an inner con-' tainer offoam-making solution located within the outer container and insertiblethrough said neck-opening thereof, in combination with a part formin apassage leading to said discharge nozz e, said passage having anentrance relatively wide compared to the rest of said passage andprovided with a screen, and said screened entrance being located in theupper part of located closely adjacent the fillirgg of the extinguisher,and a r container supported in the 'said container close to said innercontainer but faced otherwise than toward the rush of solution whichoccurs in said outer con- .tainer on-the inversion of the extinguisherentrance initially receives portions of both solutions and is readilyaccessible for inspection and cleaning through said neck-openmg.

7. A foam extinguisher of the invertible type comprising an outercontainer of foammaking solution having a neckvopening provided with acover, and having a foam discharge nozzle, and an inner container offoam-making solution located within the other container and insertiblethrough its neck-opening, in combination with a part forming a passageleading to said discharge nozzle, said passage having an entrancerelatively wide compared to the rest of said passage and said nozzleentrance being located in the upper part of said container close to saidinner container and substantially in line with the edge of saidneckopening and being also located in the path of outflow from the innercontainer, and so that the initial dischar e through said nozzle, isfoam as distinguis ed from liquid.

8. In a fire extinguisher of the type having acylindrical outercontainer and a top dome provided with a neck opening and a removablecover therefor, screen for the outlet from such container comprising atrough-shape'body with substantially flat end and bottom walls and aperforate vertical wall, said end'and bottom walls having curved edgesengaged to the curved interior surface of said container and saidperforate vertical wall being subspecification.

CLIFFORD B. WHITE.

an improved

